War Torn
by Childhood Creations
Summary: War, it is a thorn in all our sides, and in Meryl's case, it literally was. We are all just people of Azeroth.


**Disclaimer**: Nope, I don't own Warcraft, I just have stock in Blizzard entertainment. Not enough to claim any ownership. :D

**War Torn  
><strong>  
>Rating: K+ (due to death)<br>A veteran Orc is saved by an Night Elf priest who suffers a less than enjoyable fate on the battlefield, the moral of war; pain.  
>We're all just people of Azeroth. . .<p>

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><p>He'gar looked around his room, his wife sleeping peacefully in their bed; a slight twitch of her nose makes a small smile form across the aging Orc's rough face. He approached her slowly and kissed the top of her head then her tusked mouth lightly, careful not to wake her. He picked up his battle axe from the weapons stand and headed out of their room and into the main of their home, his son awake and concern filled in his eyes.<p>

"You're the man of the house now; take care of your mom and sister." He'gar had a strong hand firmly placed on his young son's small shoulder. "I'll be home before you even _start_ to miss me." His son smiled proudly at his father and nodded, "Now, go to your room and get some sleep. You're the man now, you've got to be well rested so you can take care of this place."

"Yeah, dad!" his son's excitement seemed uncontrollable, "I won't let ya' down!" He'gar nodded and embraced his son once and shoved him lightly off toward his room before making his way to Mimelle's crib.

She slept soundly in her crib, her dolly clutched closely to her body. He'gar remembered the goblin he'd bought the doll off of, thinking it'd be something Mimelle would like. _He didn't regret the gold spent on it._ He brushed a large, calloused index finger on the side of her smooth little green face. A small knock behind him told the Orc that his final good-byes were done.

"I love you all." He whispered too silently for anyone to hear and headed out from his home, Sugouf and the rest the team waiting patiently for him, none blaming him for the long good-bye, all knowing the same feeling he had brewing inside.  
>This may very well be the last time any of them saw him alive or he saw them alive; <em>the last they saw their families.<em>

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><p>Meryl held her sister tightly a moment and then parted from the kin elf, "Dearest sister, worry not. I'll be fine." Meryl smiled to her worried little sister, it wasn't the first time Meryl went to war, but it didn't change how her sister felt each time.<p>

"Promise you'll be safe." Her sister demanded, Meryl laughed quickly at the childish words her sister spoke so bluntly. Meryl was caught off guard as her sister snapped a small bracelet around her wrist and noticed it had been mothers. "Promise." her sister repeated with more force in her single word this time then there had been in any of her words since the day the elf had been born.

"It's warfare. I'll be as safe as one can be in the middle of a war in Azeroth, my dear sister." Meryl held her sister tightly once more before she had to finally part, she _had_ to come back. "I will see you soon, promise."

A muscular bear came up and nudged at the two sisters, a male figure showing up behind the bear his long violet hair was wind blown and messy. "I must leave." Meryl looked to the ground with a sour taste in her mouth. She didn't want to part from her sister though war demanded it.

"Come on, Meryl." Trescar, the bear's owner, grabbed Meryl's hand gently. They knew she needed someone to help her part from her beloved sister. She smiled to her sister warmly as the two walked out of Meryl's home and into the early sun, the light barely peeking out to greet the new day.

"It's beautiful." Trescar noted aloud, Meryl nodded and put her head lightly on his shoulder. Trescar's enormous bear unable to help himself from being ignored put himself between them so they would pet him; earning laughter from the two. He'd always been a jealous one.

"To war." Meryl said sadly and quietly as she looked back once and caught sight of her sister waving them off, the robes that adorned her sisters body didn't hide all the burns and wrappings that encased her sisters body. Meryl gave a sad smile to the sister she knew would likely not live much longer on Azeroth.

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><p>The battlefield was cold; it was a frozen inferno on Azeroth.<p>

He'gar had taken up an impossible battle while getting a comrade out of harm's way. The enemy was in numbers beyond his abilities, he lay barely conscious and bloody. He heard the lightest of footsteps coming towards him, an elf. "Do not torment me, for I will not entertain you. If you'll kill me, do it." He'gar spat blood as he spoke; he'd learned Common and managed to remember it all these years. It'd proved beneficial to him at many turns in his life.

"Torment you? I will not. Do you have family?" the young-seeming elf questioned and sunk low to the ground so none may notice them communicating with one another. He'gar nodded to the elf.

"A gentle wife, strong son, and young daughter." He spoke with pride about his family, they were his everything.

"I have a sister and a mate. She's ill, she will not survive the year I fear…" the elf said, her eyes now grave and cold. "You love them, as I love my sister. As a priest, I save lives, not take them. Illness will take my sister, I cannot prevent that. I don't want the cruelty of war to take you from your family. That I _can_ prevent." The elf's lavender hands emit a pale gold light and touched his most severe of wounds softly. Her armour had blood spattered everywhere, he knew better then to think it was blood from a Horde.

"Thank you, elf, might I have the honour to know your name?" He'gar asked, loyalties and race aside, he owed this elf a debt that he couldn't repay.

"I am Meryl Featheredwing." She smiled to him, "And your name, my elder Orc?"

"I am He'gar Warsong. Not as blood-thirsty as you might guess though." He was old, which didn't mean there was not a small laugh that escaped him at her calling him _'elder'_, and had seen his days of war; his thirst for blood was well quenched.

"May we cross paths again one day, on kinder soil, He'gar Warsong of the Horde." Meryl whispered as the sound of a bear approached them."You must head back, friend. My mates' bear has a liking for Orc." She turned and ran to Trescar's companion and held the bear to her, distracting him from the retreating Orc, and covering any scent that might have drawn the bear to him.

"Are you okay, Love?" Trescar asked as he noticed a small bit of new blood upon her person.

"Yes, thank you. We should return to base, the hour is growing late and cold I'd hate to-" Meryl was cut short as an arrow pierced her side, hitting through her rib cage and deep in her heart.  
>Trescar grabbed her, embracing his lover as she tried to push through the pain that she wouldn't survive.<p>

He'gar had watched the arrow fly; he saw its target and couldn't believe what happened. Another Orc had shot the elf that had previously saved him. He'gar owed this elf and she now perished upon this very battlefield.  
>She could have left him for dead and easily be alive now, but she was now gone all because she saved him life. He stared at the elf as his bear roared, knocking Meryl's killer to the ground, shredding the Orc into pieces, her mate shot one arrow at the Orc's pet as he retreated with Meryl in tow, a shining bracelet falling from her wrist and onto the battlefield. The killer laid dead, his innards being dragged around the battlefield by the bear as it followed Meryl's mate. Once he was unnoticed and alone, he took a moment to take up the bracelet that had fallen, clutching it in his hand. She had not deserved that fate.<p>

_This was war._ He'gar reminded himself of that each moment as he deposited the bracelet into his pouch and headed to base, still in need of someone, anyone, to mend his wounds.

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><p>He'gar had caught a glimpse of the familiar elf and bear he had seen on the battlefield over four years earlier to the present date, another elf with similar features to that of Meryl following him, her arms and neck wrapped in bandages. He'gar stood from his table, following far behind them on his kodo till they reached Alliance territory. He could still see them, they turned to a small hill with a single stone and odd pottery neatly placed on it, many hours had passed before the three finally left, He'gar dared past the lines to see what the stone was. He had to return what he'd obtained in the battlefield to the family.<p>

"Featheredwing." He'gar shouted, regretting it as the bear turned quickest and began after him. "Call off the bear, I beg of you." he called to the elves, taking his axe and dropping it to the ground. The bear stopped as the male shouted something in his tongue the Orc didn't understand.

"What is it, Orc?" the male spat the words, malice in his tone.

There was only one real option of what it was the three had been at, but he needed to see it.

"Meryl..." He'gar began, "she had saved me on the field that day, moments before she had been shot down." he slowly reached for his pouch, trying to not cause more hostility.

"She was a kind soul." the ill seeming female elf muttered quietly, though loud enough to understand.

"I was terrified to approach, but I know I must return some of what you lost that day, though it will never be enough. She saved me so I may see my family once more." he pulled out the bracelet, the female elf stared with wide eyes and came up to him, taking back what was rightfully hers. "It had been dropped. I've held it all these years, never knowing what became of Meryl, her mate, or sister."

"Thank you." the female said, taking the Orc's hand and leading him to the stone. "This is where she rests. Between the territories, it was her favourite place to sit and read all day." the female looked down at the stone, handing back the bracelet to He'gar. "It had been our mother's. We will leave you to saying what you like to her. Be wary, you are still in Alliance territory though." with that the elves left quietly.

He'gar turned to Meryl's final resting place, "Thank you, my elf friend." his words audible enough so that wherever she may be now, she'd hear him. He still owed her his life, he pulled out the bracelet that had been Meryl's mothers.

"Maybe you'd like this back, Meryl?" he grunted softly, placing the bracelet upon the stone that marked her grave. He had overstayed his welcome and had to return to the family that Meryl saved him for.

With one last glance, He'gar could have sworn ten tons of weight had been lifted from him as he walked off. He would see her again one day, it'd be his turn to die eventually and until that day, he just had to continue finding a way to end this bloodshed between the Alliance and Horde.

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><p>I hope you all found that decently understandable and enjoyable.<br>Find a mistake that angered you, or liked it? Tell me! Thanks for reading. :3


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